Tag Archives: special collections

Pepperdine University Libraries is pleased to announce a new exhibition highlighting the Korean War photos taken by Hanson Williams Jr., a 1950 graduate of Pepperdine, who received a photography scholarship to attend the university. Six months after his graduation, he was drafted by the United States Army and was stationed in California for one year before being deployed to Korea to serve as a war photographer. In this capacity, he often photographed soldiers in combat, special events, and visiting dignitaries such as generals, politicians, and celebrities. Williams recalled carrying his personal camera with him every day, and even resorted to developing film in rivers and rice paddies when necessary. In addition to his military duties, Williams tried to get a better understanding of the country and its people. He would spend his spare time riding his bike into remote locations and photograph such things as local villagers and their farms. Williams spent 13 months in Korea traveling to cities such as Seoul, Incheon, and Taegu.

A photo Hanson took while in Korea, 1952.

The exhibit serves as Williams’s visual diary showing his journey from basic training at Fort Ord in Monterey, CA to his time served in Korea. Many of the photos taken by Williams during his spare time in remote villages have never been exhibited before. The materials will be on display on the first floor of Payson Library until April 15th . The exhibit is viewable during library open hours. For questions about the exhibit please contact Katie Richardson, Archivist for Special Collections and University Archives, at 310-506-4323 or katie.richardson@pepperdine.edu.

A reception for the exhibit will take on February 21st from 12-2. If you are interested in attending the event, please RSVP to Jeanette Woodburn, Director of Library Advancement at 310-506-6785 or Jeanette.Woodburn@pepperdine.edu.

Special thanks to Special Collections and University Archives interns and student workers Emily Hansen, Sophie Zhu, and Candice Erdos for all of their help preparing for this exhibit.

Moore (right) as the boy Apostle Mark in DeMille’s “The King of Kings” (1927)

Pepperdine University Libraries is pleased to announce the online release of the Micky Moore Collection, which adds over 2,500 digital objects to our growing film and television research area. The collection features the photographs, correspondence, media clippings, and production materials of Michael D. “Micky” Moore, a child actor turned film director whose career spanned the evolution of filmmaking from the silent era to the millennium. Between 1917 and 1929, Moore acted in over 40 films and worked with such silent screen stars as Mary Pickford, Jack Holt, Gloria Swanson, Lillian Gish, Conrad Nagel, and Tom Mix. During this time, Moore developed an influential relationship with legendary director Cecil B. DeMille, who became his mentor. Moore acted in four of DeMille’s films, including the epic The King of Kings (1927). DeMille helped Moore transition from childhood actor to a career behind the camera.

Moore (center) attending to a very wet Elvis for “King Creole” (1958)

From the 1960s on, Moore became well known as a reliable second unit director with a knack for action sequences. (The second unit, as the name implies, is a discrete crew that captures shots and sequences that do not, typically, require the primary actors). Moore worked with some of the most important filmmakers of the 20th century, including Norman Taurog, John Sturges, Franklin Shaffner, George Roy Hill, Sydney Pollack, John Huston, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Irvin Kershner.

This digital collection is based on the Michael D. “Micky” Moore Papers, generously donated to Pepperdine University by Moore’s daughters, Tricia Newman and Sandra Kastendiek-Drake. We are honored to be the custodians of Micky’s legacy.

Moore in Japan to film “The Yakuza” (1974)

Visitors to the site may search the collection or browse by series or film title. Additionally, we’ve pulled a selection of about 100 items into a highlights collection, an expansion of the exhibit Behind the Scenes: The Micky Moore Collection, held at Pepperdine University in 2014 and curated by Katie Richardson. Enjoy.

For the past 5 years, Pepperdine Special Collections and University Archives has attended and exhibited at the annual Archives Baazar hosted by USC. The Archives Bazaar is a great way for anyone with an interest in the region’s history to find out what local archival repositories have on Southern California history. Pepperdine Special Collections and University Archives Intern, Emily Hansen volunteered at the Pepperdine booth for the day and reflected on her experience below.

A few weekends ago, I was extraordinarily fortunate to attend the Archives Bazaar at the University of Southern California as the Intern for Pepperdine Special Collections and University Archives. On the 25th of October, I walked into the library at USC enchanted by the architecture, but also lost. Eventually I located the Pepperdine table and we set up a display to highlight the archival collections at Pepperdine. Black and white photos of football games long since passed stood among a book on the St. John’s Bible and a coveted Malibu tile. By the end of the day, 225 people had approached our table to share stories and ask questions. To each, we were able to explain Pepperdine’s role in the history of Los Angeles, as well as the actions and events sponsored by Pepperdine Libraries to preserve and expand this history. Being only a few months into my first archives internship, I knew little about the specifics regarding Pepperdine’s history or collections, or even archives in general. However, with each question and answer, I listened to the archivists and learned more and more about what Special Collections has to offer. I was quickly enthralled by stories such as the descriptions of traveling to Malibu by mule before the construction of major roadways, as well as the early days of the Los Angeles campus, when Pepperdine had a champion football team.

As I ventured away from our table to see the full Bazaar, I was amazed by the amount of collections that were represented. Everyone from the Getty Research Center to local heritage clubs, professional organizations, and concert halls were exhibiting the highlights of their collections. People from all stages of life, whether they be amateurs, students or professionals, established a community of a single interest. Alone, each booth focused on a small and specific sliver of Los Angeles, which when put together described the vibrantly detailed and epic history of this city. Finally, at the end of the day I was able to tour the Special Collections department at USC. The size and beauty of the rooms was noteworthy apart from the astounding displays. The Bazaar, and working for Special Collections in general, is a perfect example of the opportunities available for students to gain experience and grow beyond classroom studies. Understanding the history of the school we attend and the city we live in can only enrich our experience here as students. Though we frequently turn to museums of the greater Los Angeles area, the archives and special collections of Pepperdine, or any organization, paint a picture much more relevant and meaningful to our everyday lives in establishing the tradition that surround us.

The Pepperdine College Freedom Forum was an annual, three-day seminar designed to promote American values as a defense against communism, held in Los Angeles between 1959 and 1971. The model for the Freedom Forum grew out of the National Education Program developed by George S. Benson, President of Harding College. At Pepperdine, President M. Norvel Young carried the idea forward, where it was sometimes referred to as the California Freedom Forum. The Freedom Forum was part of a larger constellation of anti-communist activities at Pepperdine College, which included a weekly Speaker’s Bureau, an anti-communist film series, and various citizen education and teacher training programs.

Billed as a “seminar to prepare leadership for American resistance to the spread of Communism and Socialism,” the inaugural Freedom Forum in 1959 featured talks such as “Communism’s Invisible Weapon—Brainwashing” and “What Socialism Has Delivered in Europe.” The featured speaker that first year was Senator John L. McClellan, who delivered the keynote “Can American Freedom Survive?” before a packed house of 800 California business leaders in the ballroom of the Biltmore Hotel.

Pepperdine University Libraries is pleased to announce that hundreds of program booklets, typed speeches, photographs, newspaper clippings, and interviews from all thirteen years of the Freedom Forum are now available to researchers and the interested public through the Pepperdine College Freedom Forum digital collection. This collection is a digitized subset of the Pepperdine College Freedom Forum Records available for research in our Special Collections and University Archives located in Payson Library on the Malibu campus.

Richard Arens of the House Committe on Un-American Activities speaking at the 1959 Freedom Forum

Program cover featuring Senator Barry Goldwater, 1961

Don McCulloch presenting on Communism and brainwashing at the 1959 Freedom Forum

Pepperdine University Libraries is pleased to announce a new exhibition highlighting the career of longtime filmmaker and childhood actor Michael D. “Micky” Moore. Moore began his film career as a silent screen child actor. Between 1917 and 1929, he acted in over 40 films and worked with such silent screen stars as Mary Pickford, Jack Holt, Gloria Swanson, Lillian Gish, Conrad Nagel and Tom Mix. However, the most influential relationship he developed during this time period was with legendary director Cecil B. DeMille, who became his mentor. Moore acted in four of DeMille’s films, including the epic The King of Kings. DeMille helped Moore transition from childhood actor to a career behind the camera.

From the 1960s on, Moore became well-known as a reliable and confident second unit director with a knack for action sequences. He worked on some of the most famous movies of the twentieth century including: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid;Patton; Rooster Cogburn;Paradise, Hawaiian Style; Raiders of the Lost Ark;Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom; and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Moore retired in 2000 after completing his final movie, the Walt Disney picture 102 Dalmatians.

The exhibit features a diverse array of archival materials that document Moore’s career and include photographs, scripts, sketches, storyboards, production materials, and correspondence. The materials will be on display on the first floor of Payson Library from August 11th to December 8th. For questions about the exhibit please contact Katie Richardson, Archivist for Special Collections and University Archives, at 310-506-4323 or katie.richardson@pepperdine.edu.

According to the New York Times, “Close Cover Before Striking” is the most printed phrase in the history of the printed word. Perhaps you remember the days when every business, it seemed, advertised its services via free matchbooks bearing a logo, address, and phone number. Matchbook cover advertising rose and fell with the popularity of cigarette smoking, and was all but obliterated by the advent of the cheap, disposable Bic lighter in the early 1970s. Although customized matchboxes have made a bit of a comeback recently (think high-end restaurants), the heyday for the matchbook cover remains in the past, charting a visual history of midcentury American culture and commerce.

Pepperdine University Libraries are pleased to announce the Eric Wienberg Collection of Malibu Matchbooks and Postcards, the latest addition to the Pepperdine Digital Collections. This online collection includes over forty matchbook covers that chronicle the history of business establishments and sites in Malibu and the surrounding area. The collection covers a period between the 1930s and the 1980s, and features matchbook covers from restaurants, cafes, bars, hotels, motels, stores, and other businesses from Malibu, Topanga, Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, Culver City, and Venice Beach. The matchbooks and postcards were collected and generously donated by former Malibu resident Eric Wienberg.

The digital collection allows users to view both sides of the matchbook cover, either individually or side-by-side. Many businesses used the underside of the cover for hidden images or jokes, in addition to further details about their services (see below). The user can also see the matchbook cover on a map showing the business’ original location, or take a west to east tour of these historical businesses along the Pacific Coast Highway via the Library’s Historypin.com channel.

Return to a time when Alice’s Restaurant graced the Malibu Pier, when Duke’s Malibu was known as the Las Flores Inn, when lovers rendezvoused at the Albatross Hotel, and when Pacific Palisades had the Lighthouse café (and a working lighthouse). Enjoy.

On May 2, 1946, the inaugural issue of The Malibu Times reported on several items. Locally, a truck driver was sentenced to 90 days in county jail for driving drunk. National news included mention of an electric window shade featured at the World Inventor’s Expo in Chicago. And Judge John L. Webster, a community leader, heralded the newspaper with these words: “With the advent of the first issue of THE MALIBU TIMES, this western beach and mountain section of Los Angeles county is entering upon a new era. The development planned for Malibu will make it one of the finest, if not THE finest, coastal areas along the entire Pacific slope.”

Pepperdine University Libraries are pleased to announce that the first five years of The Malibu Times are now available online and freely accessible through Pepperdine Digital Collections. Spanning the years 1946 to 1950, these early years of Malibu’s longest-running newspaper are now available, for the first time, as full-text searchable documents. Readers have the option to flip through the paper via an online reader, download a complete PDF of an issue, or highlight a particular article for download or printing (article level segmentation). Click here to access the collection.

The Malibu Times, our coastal community’s premier newspaper, includes sections on the community, Malibu life, news, sports, opinion, obituaries, and entertainment. The paper was founded in 1946 by two Malibu couples: Reeves and Eileen Templeman, and William and Marian Macfadyen. The Templemans carried the paper through the decades until Arnold and Karen York bought the newspaper in 1987. The Malibu Times, still going strong, remains under their ownership today.

Pepperdine University Libraries digitized the first five years of the newspaper as part of a pilot program, and we are actively seeking donations to help us digitize the full run of The Malibu Times. We have, in our Special Collections, the only complete run of this historical newspaper, and digitizing the paper and making it fully searchable online would be an invaluable service to the Malibu community. Click here if you would like to make a contribution.

This blog post was written by Lindsey Sommer, Special Collections and University Archives Intern.

September 6, 1972, marked the first day of class for students at Pepperdine University in Malibu. Prior to that time, the campus was located in the Vermont Knolls area of Los Angeles, a few miles south of downtown. Students at George Pepperdine College were involved in all sorts of activities. Some wrote for the student newspaper the Graphic, while others were involved in theatre, athletics, fraternities, or sororities. On display are a variety of materials illustrating students at George Pepperdine College from 1937 to the 1960s, participating in these activities, shown through historic photographs, newspaper clippings, documents, scrapbooks, uniforms and memorabilia. The exhibit is divided into four sections: 1. General Student Life, 2. Athletics, 3. Performing Arts, and 4. Sororities and Fraternities.

Section 1: General Student Life

Homecoming images, such as the one seen here from 1961, show potential homecoming queens arrayed on the lawn at Pepperdine College. Also on display are images of student photographers for the Graphic, and an early Beanie worn by students attending Pepperdine college.

Section 2: Athletics

The athletics case features Football memorabilia and photographs, featuring men’s NCAA football team (seen here in 1946-1947) as well as an image of the women’s intramural football team. Additionally, on display is an original Pep Club uniform from 1939 and programs from men’s football games.

Section 3: Performing Arts

Additionally, on view are several programs and historic photographs showing student participation in the fine arts, such as an image from the 1959 production of the King and I, which can be seen with the original program. Viewers may also see original art show announcements and images of the Pepperdine College singing group the Singing Travelers.

Section 4: Sororities and Fraternities.

Finally, a selection of memorabilia and photographs show students participating in Greek life at Pepperdine College, with scrapbooks, rush pins, and fraternity mugs. For example, in the photograph to the left, pledges can be seen pushing marbles down a corridor in Baxter Hall in 1942.

For further questions about the exhibit or internships in Special Collections and University Archives please contact Katie Richardson at katie.richardson@pepperdine.edu or 310-506-4323.

Tanner Potts is a senior at the University of the South and is double majoring in History and American Studies. Tanner will be working in Special Collections and University Archives over an eight week period this summer.

Tanner’s first project will be to process the Donald G. Ingalls Collection. Ingalls was a prolific film and television writer and producer with over 35 years of experience. During his Hollywood career, he wrote for many shows including Have Gun, Will Travel, Bonanza, The Big Valley, The Virginian, Gunsmoke, Star Trek, and Fantasy Island, among others. He also wrote for the feature film, Airport 1975.

The collection consists mostly of scripts from the shows that Ingalls worked on. The project includes arranging and describing materials, writing a finding aid, and adding descriptive information to Archivists’ Toolkit. The finding aid will be published on the Online Archive of California when Tanner is done.

For further questions about internships or Special Collections and University Archives holdings please contact Katie Richardson at katie.richardson@pepperdine.edu or 310-506-4323.

John Muir (1838-1914) was a naturalist, conservationist, and writer whose lasting legacy includes the Sierra Club (which he founded) as well as many national parks and forests that were established in part due to his advocacy. His first book, The Mountains of California, is pictured here as a first edition. Muir spent the latter part of his life in California, and was dedicated to preserving its wilderness, which he loved.

In the below image, an illustration from this book shows a windstorm in the California forests, based on a sketch by Muir. Muir’s description of a windstorm demonstrates his eloquent writing:

…the winds go to every tree, fingering every leaf and branch and furrowed hole; not one is forgotten; the Mountain Pine towering with outstretched arms on the rugged buttresses of the icy peaks, the lowliest and most retiring tenant of the dells; they seek and find them all, caressing them tenderly, bending them in lusty exercise, stimulating their growth, plucking off a limb as required, or removing an entire tree or grove, now whispering and cooing through the branches like a sleepy child, now roaring like the ocean; the winds blessing the forests, the forests the winds, with ineffable beauty and harmony as the sure result (244).